Early Spring Hummingbirds

Every year at this time we regularly answer the question “when will the hummingbirds arrive?” and “when should I put out a feeder?”   The first reported sightings of Ruby-throated hummingbirds (RTH) in middle TN are just a few weeks away.  There are usually a few local sightings by the last week of March while the vast majority of RTH’s begin arriving or passing through between early April and mid-May.  Male hummingbirds tend to arrive ahead of females.   At my home in Cheatam Co. nearly 30 years of taking note of my first RTH sighting is between April 4th and 10th, and always an adult male. 

Some of these early arrivals may rest and feed for a day or two before continuing on their journey to their final destination, which may be as far as Canada.  Those that stay in mid-TN will then begin establishing territory, courting and nesting.  Their interest in feeders is minimal at this time.  Why?  Unless a hard freeze kills blooms and no flowers are available nature provides hummingbirds with everything they could possibly need, which is nectar from plants, and insects for protein.  The first hummingbirds to arrive at my home in Cheatham County usually spend more time at the Columbine blooms than at the feeder.  Early blooming perennials and native plants are a very important nectar source for hummingbirds.  People living in rural areas tend to see hummingbirds earlier and more often than people in more urban areas.  Why? The simple answer is rural areas provide better and more nesting habitat for hummingbirds.

Activiy from the peak part of the season in August.

Temper your expectations.  Do not expect to see a lot of activity early on.  We suggest putting out 1 or 2 feeders with small amounts of nectar the 1st week of April.  There is no need to put out a lot of feeders nor should you fill feeders to capacity.  There just isn’t that much feeding activity early on.  With the cool nights your nectar can last a little longer than in summer but do pay attention to the quality.  You should still change the nectar once or twice a week depending on temperatures.  Keep it fresh and the feeder clean.  This is very important to the health of the hummingbirds.   You must remember Ruby-throated hummingbirds do not need sugar water but only take advantage of it.  If the nectar is not in good condition they will find other sources.   

Hummers will come to feeders more frequently when they are ready and that typically occurs near the end of their breeding season.  Usually, late June to mid-July is when we see an increase in activity at feeders.  Most of the offspring from possibly 2 broods has fledged by then and as August arrives feeding activity will be at its busiest as adults and youngsters visit feeders and pack on weight and energy rich fat in preparation for the migration back.

It is certainly possible you may see a bird or two take advantage of the feeder before moving on to its final destination.   It is not true that if you don’t put out a feeder now you will miss them later in the summer.  Some people wait till July to put a feeder up, and have success.

The Best Solution for Hummingbird Nectar

The best nectar you can offer hummingbirds is a simple 1 part sugar to 4 parts water solution.  It is not necessary for the water to be brought to a boil before adding sugar unless you are making larger quantities for storage in the fridge.  The nectar is ready after the sugar has been stirred in and fully dissolved.  Do not add color in the form of food dye. Color is absolutely unnecessary and potentially harmful.  Also, DO NOT use natural raw sugar or honey.  Regular white table sugar is best.

Next week …The Grosbeaks are coming!

And Lights Out Nashville!

Wood Thrush Notes

Another Rare Bird Sighting in Nashville

In the past year, TN has seen quite a few rare birds pop up all around the state.

By now some of you have heard about the Green-tailed Towhee recently discovered in East Nashville. It’s not the first time this species has been seen here, however, nearly 60 years have passed since the last sighting.

This bird is typically a summer-breeding resident of New Mexico north to Montana, and west to the Sierras of California. Its non-breeding, winter range is from mid Texas down into Central America. The other interesting thing about where this bird has been seen is its habitat preference tends to be in areas of dense brush on mountainsides and high plateaus. Not exactly East Nashville habitat.

Keep the binoculars handy because clearly any one of us may have a rare visitor at any time.

Green-tailed Towhee

Spring and Early Summer Hummingbirds

All of our summer resident Ruby-throated hummingbirds are here now and beginning, or well into, their first nesting of the season. Like Bluebirds they all don’t start nesting at the same time. There could be as much as a month difference in the first nesting phase of the earliest arrivals in March and April and the later arrivals as late as mid-May.

There have been a lot of concerns voiced by customers regarding hummingbirds this spring, more so than usual. “I usually have them by tax day”, or “I’ve only seen one weeks ago and none since”. The nesting phase is one of the reasons people usually see far fewer hummingbirds now as opposed to July through September. Hummingbird feeders are not in high demand at this time and will serve only for quick visits and a brief drink.

I’ll admit sightings of hummingbirds have been fewer based on personal experience and customer feedback; however, there can be a number of factors that would contribute to either seeing more or less hummingbirds during spring. Seeing fewer hummingbirds now can be viewed as a potentially good thing. It has been a cool spring with good amounts of rain meaning nectar producing plants are doing very well and hummingbirds do not see the feeders as necessary. In years past when we experienced early hot and dry conditions there was more early activity at feeders. Let’s see what happens when temperatures get into the 90’s next week with little rainfall. That may inspire a little more action at the feeders.

Perhaps the heavy rains and high winds we experienced in May and June last year resulted in a fair amount of washed out nests meaning numbers of offspring were affected. The fact is we just don’t know at this point if there are fewer hummingbirds this year compared to last.

When nesting is near conclusion in mid to latter July hummers begin visiting feeders with frequency and intensity to fatten up for the long migration back to Central and South America.

With that in mind keep fresh nectar in the feeder but do not fill to capacity. Small amounts are recommended now to decrease waste and major cleaning of feeders. In warmer weather nectar is only good for about 3 days. The hotter the environment the shorter the life span of the nectar.

Early Spring Hummingbirds

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Every year at this time we regularly answer the question “when will the hummingbirds arrive”?

Ruby-throated hummingbirds do begin migrating into and through TN as early as the latter part of March, with the bulk of them arriving or passing through between mid-April and mid-May. We expect any day now to see on TNbird, or hear from a customer, the first reported sighting of a Ruby-throated hummingbird. Male hummingbirds tend to be the first to arrive.

Some of these early arrivals may feed for a few days before continuing on their journey to their final destination, which may be as far as Canada. Those that stay in mid-TN will then begin the task of establishing territory, courting and nesting. Their interest in feeders is minimal at this time. Why? Unless a hard freeze kills blooms and no flowers are available nature provides hummingbirds with everything they could possibly need, which is nectar from plants, and insects for protein. In fact, the first arrival at my home in Cheatam County usually spends more time at the Columbine blooms than at the feeder. Early blooming perennials and native plants are a very important nectar source for hummingbirds.

Remember, Ruby-throated hummingbirds have been making the journey to North America from central and South America to breed for roughly ten thousand years. They would come here whether we had feeders full of sugar water or not. They will come to feeders when they are ready and that typically occurs near the end of their breeding season, usually starting around late June to mid-July. People living in rural areas tend to see hummingbirds earlier and more often than people in more urban areas. Why? The simple answer is rural areas provide better and more nesting habitat for hummingbirds.

So, if you are wondering when to put up a hummingbird feeder you may do so now. However, you should temper your expectations. Do not expect to see a lot of activity. It is certainly possible you may see a bird or two take advantage of the feeder before moving on to its final destination. And it is not true that if you don’t put out a feeder now you will miss them later in the summer.

The Best Solution for Hummingbird Nectar

The best nectar you can offer hummingbirds is a simple 1 part sugar to 4 parts water solution. It is not necessary for the water to be brought to a boil before adding sugar unless you are making larger quantities for storage in the fridge. The nectar is ready after the sugar has been stirred in and fully dissolved. Do not add color in the form of food dye. Color is absolutely unnecessary and potentially harmful. Also, it is not good to use natural raw sugar, the kind that is slightly brown in color. Regular white table sugar is recommended.